


tinted blue

by edytheelizabethcullen



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edytheelizabethcullen/pseuds/edytheelizabethcullen
Summary: people are gifted with matching blue marks whenever their soulmate is left with a bruisebella swan is blank
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

Whenever her mother was granted a new mark, Bella wondered what it felt like. If there was ever a sting where the mark occurred. Renee told her that it was painless, but she couldn’t help her denial of this fact. The marks certainly _looked_ painful. Indigo blue faded into sapphire around the edges in a near perfect circle. For the last three years, it was the most common shape to appear on her mother’s body.

Apparently, Renee’s soulmate got hit quite a lot.

As the years went on, the frequency of marks rose to near every day, something Renee seemed almost proud of. For the majority of her childhood, Renee had been blank. By age seven, Renee was sure that she would never have a match. She had resigned herself to fall in love with everyone she met instead, spreading love to everyone she would meet. The next year, when she was proven wrong and found blue knees, Renee didn’t change her philosophy.

That’s how she ended up married with a child by the time she was nineteen.

Bella, in comparison, hadn’t followed in her mother’s footsteps. For one thing, she was older than her mother had been when she realized she was never going to be matched. Bella didn’t mind much. She had never thought she would fall in love anyways. Not when there were so many other things she could spend her days doing.

So, her mind turned to books. To helping her mother. To collecting an absurd amount of plants.

Love, for her, was not found in lapis bruises marked on her legs. No, Bella found her love in black text hidden within books. Romeo. Heathcliff. Darcy. Knightley. Gilbert. So many stories where love and tragedy went hand in hand. Misunderstandings between adoring couples, seeing each other’s pain scarred into the other’s skin, hurting each other while knowing there was no one else in the world meant for them. The mark of love wasn’t also a mark of pain for no reason.

At age twelve, Renee finally found the courage to ask, “Are you ever upset that you don’t have a match?”

Bella looked up from her idle tracing of Renee’s newest bruise on her shoulder. Her mother’s soulmate had taken a bad fall, from what she could tell. Brown eyes met blue and Bella could barely force out a smile, “Of course not.”

Instead of seeing through her daughter’s lie, Renee smiled, “I’m glad.” Her mother’s joy was pure. She only wanted the best of her child, Bella knew that. Happiness came easy to Renee; it was stability that was her problem. Bella was the opposite.

Though she never asked outright, Bella was left wondering if Renee had known she was lying for the rest of her life. She knew that lying was never _easy_ for her, that it was clear from the blush seeping into her cheeks that she was being dishonest. 

Still, Renee never asked her about being matched again. Bella felt nothing but relief at this fact.

When Bella left her mother’s side to move in with her father, she decided that she _hated_ matched pairs.

Charlie was similar to her, having never found the one who left marks up and down his hands and arms. They would be alone in the world together, and Bella decided this was the best place for her. She would only ruin her mother’s chance at happiness if she stayed in the only home she had known since she was six years old.

No, the forests and the rain fit her very nicely.

Yes, Bella had to work harder to keep her succulents alive because of the clouded sun. Yes, Bella despised the way heavy rain left her clothes wet. Yes, Bella missed the dry heat of the desert sun.

That would not change how she felt, however. Forks was her home now. Charlie fit into that picture nicely. The pickup truck never failed to make her smile, and that was only because of Charlie. There was a lot to be said about his lack of parenting knowledge, but Bella enjoyed it. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she preferred Charlie’s methods.

Where Renee was loud, Charlie was silence. They spent their days together with barely a hundred words spoken. Charlie watching the game on the couch while Bella did homework on the floor.

While she was unstoppable, he was immovable. Charlie would go out with his friends and bring home dinner. He would share tales of the day while she made dinner. It had turned into a tradition after the first time it happened.

When her mother was nosy, her father was private. Even though Charlie was a cop, he never interrogated her. His simple questions received simple answers, and he never asked for excessive details like Renee would have.

Their peaceful coexistence had ended the night Bella decided to pry. After a few days, she had noticed that the royal blue stripes across his palms never seemed to fade. “ _Do you know who leaves those marks on your hands?_ ”

Bella immediately regretted this question when she saw her own pain reflected in her father’s eyes. “Sometimes, Bells, matches manifest in a way that we cannot understand.”

He kissed her temple, “Loving a person you don’t know is not love.” Charlie was not usually an affectionate person, but Bella felt nothing but safe when he wrapped his arms around her.

After a minute, both of them split apart. She cracked a smile and said, “So, how about them Seahawks?” Charlie snorted a laugh at her attempt to bond, but still launched into a rant about the last game he had seen.

It wasn’t as strained as she expected.

Charlie had let go of her question without fail and brought his attention back to his daughter. She respected him for that and went to bed that night still feeling the warmth of her father’s love wrapped around her.

 _Yes_ , she thought into her pillow. _Love manifested in very strange ways indeed_.

“Hello.”

When he started talking, her mouth almost dropped open in shock. After the first day, she thought that Edward Cullen hated her more than any words could express. Why else would he refuse to speak to her? Why had he asked to be switched out of the only class they had together?

Without thought, Bella’s eyes trailed over his skin to look for any marks contrasting his pale skin. He wasn’t shy about showing off his arms, in his short sleeve. She, in turn, wore long sleeves with layers, choosing to cover her barren skin.

Belatedly, Bella realized he had been asking her questions. “I—yes.” She sat down rather quickly and shoved her backpack onto the floor, trying not to get lost within her thoughts again. Since he had decided to talk, she could at least be polite.

Even if he showed off his arms, it didn’t mean it was alright to ask if he was matched in their first conversation. Bella wasn’t crazy and matches were an extremely private topic.

While Molina gave instructions for the day’s assignment, her mind began to wander again. Unmatched people weren’t unhappy. They were simply different. Still, it felt taboo. That’s why she was always covered. Being _blank_ wasn’t something she wanted to share with every stranger she met within the day.

Which begged the question: Why was this boy so okay with showing off his pure white skin?

“Ladies first.” He interrupted her thoughts, pushing the microscope into her personal space. It was not the starter she had been looking for, and it laid the path for the rest of the conversation.

Edward was an arrogant prick and she found him absolutely infuriating. Every time she answered one of the study questions, Edward would check her work. She wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face, so she decided to copy his attitude.

The approach didn’t stop him, though. What seemed to be the entire class period, he kept trying to dig into every bit of information he got out of her. About how she felt about moving, about her mother and stepfather.

“But now you’re unhappy,” Edward noted, his bright eyes looming with sympathy. As if she was to be _pitied_ because she put her mother’s happiness above her own. It had been her _choice_. She stood by it, even if it brought her to a place she didn’t fit within.

He had the audacity to follow that up with complaining that _she_ was hard to read. When Edward had been the one to ignore her for a week and leave school because she had the misfortune of sitting next to him. Not to mention, he had been the one who was practicing interviewing her without answering a single question himself.

The only question she had actually gotten out went ignored.

_It’s the fluorescents._

Bella didn’t know if she wanted to yell at him or laugh. 

When she’s sitting in the hospital, Bella realizes it might have been the smarter choice to have been nicer to him during class. His father feels the back of her head and says, “That’s going to be a nice knot in a few hours, but you don’t have a concussion.” Suddenly, she knows what she has to look for.

Earlier, when she _saw_ Edward push the car out of the way, she felt shooting pain fly through her arm. Bella’s lips quirk up as she rubs her arm, wondering if Edward’s hand was as crushed as it should be. In fact, she should have been crushed.

Maybe that’s why she walks over to Edward when she sees him in the hall, later. The idea that his hand _should_ show some sort of mark because of the effort he executed while pushing the car out of the way. Disappointment shines across her expression when she sees his pale hand unbroken.

It was dark, _wanting_ him to be hurt in order to confirm her flustered theories. Still, she couldn’t help her curiosity. Any thoughts of being polite are out the window when she asks, “How did you get over to me so quickly?”

He frustrates her in ways she cannot understand. He _lies_ to her face and gaslights her into his own narration of the events. “You’re confused. You hit your head.”

With that, it dawns on her. She lets her fingers glide through her hair, feeling the knot gathered on the back of her head. Her thoughts don’t stop her stubborn reply, “I know what I saw.”

Because she _had_ been paying attention to him. Headphones had been blocking out any sound, but she had met his eyes across the parking lot. She knew exactly where Edward was before he had mysteriously gotten to her within seconds.

“You pushed away the van.” She says it with certainty, her right hand covering her wrist as she thought about the pain it must have caused. He didn’t have a _mark_ on him, though. Nothing out of order, which _made_ him look wrong. She ended up hurt and she hadn’t pushed a van off herself.

That had been him.

As they sent verbal whips back and forth, she instinctively moves closer. It’s not until he takes a breath and abruptly leaves her space that she realizes how little distance had actually been between them. Bella feels hot, then, a blush creeping up her neck.

“I hope you enjoy disappointment.” Edward leaves her with, and Bella stares at the back of his head. Something looks _off_ within his hair, shiny as it is. The back is shorter, she can see _something_. But she’s not sure what.

Trying to call him back, she asks, “Why did you even bother?” It’s childish, but it does the job.

Edward stops, and finally, says something honest. “I don’t know.” He’s vulnerable, and when he leaves again, Bella knows her gut feeling is right. Edward’s hair, in the exact spot she had hit her head, is tinted blue.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Bella couldn’t sleep.

She couldn’t stop moving around, going from the window in her bedroom to above the stairs at a slow pace. Nervously biting at her nail as she was lost in thought. If Charlie had been paying attention, she’s sure he would be worried that she was possessed.

And maybe she was. The idea that she wouldn’t have to be alone for the rest of her life shot into her veins like a drug. It was just a theory, for now. She couldn’t be sure if it had just been a trick of the light, or if Edward Cullen was really her soulmate.

It was apparent from his lack of injuries, impossible speed and superhuman strength that he was hard to hurt. That would explain the lack of blue marring her skin. She had never been shy to bruise, though.

Which meant that he would know, even if she didn’t.

 _What if he didn’t want her?_ It would explain his actions in the hospital. He looked like he wanted to kill her, as if she was the one torturing him. Maybe her existence did that. Edward wasn’t exactly easy to be around, though. It wasn’t just her that had issues.

Bella could feel the frustration build in her body, which led to her letting out a shriek as sat on her bed. She screamed into her hands until a knock at the door interrupted her.

“You want to explain what’s got you so worked up?” Her father questioned as he stood in her doorway. “I expected you to be sleeping by now.” He tapped his watch, the action that made Bella look at her alarm clock.

 _11:46 PM  
  
_ Bella shrugged as she turned back to her father. “Have you ever known something to be true, but people just keep lying to your face?” She hadn’t expected him to laugh and sit down in the share chair near the wall.

“I’m a cop, if you forgot.” His amusement was plain on his face. “Question them until you have proof to their lies.”

 _Proof_ , Bella pondered, looking down at her hands. Suddenly, she met her father’s eyes, “Will you teach me how to throw a punch?”

It had not been the response Charlie had been expecting.

“ _Bella_.” He stood, making his way over to her. “You just came home from the hospital. Give it a few days before you end up giving yourself a worse injury.” Without a word, Bella just stared him down with a blank expression.

It didn’t take long for Charlie to crack.

“I promise, I will show you exactly what to do in order to protect yourself.” With that, he left the room before his daughter talked him into anything worse. He didn’t want to imagine Bella at the shooting range. It was just an accident waiting to happen.

Meanwhile, Bella relaxed in her bed with a smile. In a few days, she would have bruised knuckles that Edward couldn’t hide.

Too lost in thought, Bella didn’t notice anything off about the strange shadows outside her window.

  
  
Over a week later, Charlie had finally fulfilled his promise. Only for an hour before telling Bella she needed to stop. True to character, Bella’s knuckles were bruised and battered. Charlie had wrapped her hands in bandages and told her that she needed a break before trying again.

She laughed and said, “I don’t think I’ll be doing this again.” Bella had gotten exactly what she needed to prove herself right.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to be correct anymore. Edward had been utterly confusing for the last week. It’s like his resolved changed every day, and it felt like torture.

One day, he wanted to be friends and within an hour, he had changed his mind and decided not to talk to her anymore. Two days later, he forced her to reject Eric and Tyler’s questions about the dance.

She would think him sadistic, if she understood his game plan. But she didn’t and that was the problem: Nothing he did made sense. There was no pattern to his mood changes. Every day she went into class, how the period would pass was completely up in the air.

It didn’t matter anymore, as today was finally the day she would have her answers. He couldn’t cryptically bypass her superhero references and decide he was a villain.

Jacob’s stories had scared her. Edward’s actions fit into Jacob’s legends, but she wasn’t sure that was the full story. Even with a google deep dive, she had found nothing of use. Thankfully, that was a problem for another day.

Lunch would come before their class, which meant she had to be paying attention for any peek of him she could. It was unlikely for him to come to her today, he had been quieter since she had mentioned La Push.

“He’s not here.”

Jessica’s words cut through her mind like a knife. The other girl was sitting on the grass to the left of her and staring up at her with a smirk. “Whenever the weather’s nice, the Cullen’s disappear.”

And that was really just her luck, wasn’t it? Jessica continued but Bella didn’t bother with any real response. She only shoved her hands into her pockets, stubbornly looking around the field for any flicker of brass hair she was used to seeing.

It wasn’t until Angela made an appearance that Bella was dragged out of her stupor. The conversation always flowed better when she was around. The joy in her words radiate off her in waves and cures Bella of her irritation at the Cullen’s.

“Port Angeles?” Bella irrupts the conversation suddenly. She had been settled to let the girls talk about the dance without care, but leaving town sounded like a good idea. At least there, she could look into other matters. Being her Match wasn’t the only secret Edward was keeping from her. “Can I go with you guys?”

Angela’s smile could melt a harden criminal, “Oh thank god. We _need_ your opinion.” It wasn’t exactly why Bella wanted to be involved, but she would play along for Angela’s sake, at least for a while.   
  
  


The shriek of the tires is what stops Bella from spraying mace in the drunk men’s faces. She looks into the opening door, and it’s him. Still, she doesn’t move. _How_ was he here? He hadn’t been to school in two days, apparently the camping excuse was total bullshit.

“Get in,” Edward practically growls. That’s what gets her feet moving, though Bella isn’t exactly sure it was a conscious thought or just a reaction to his order.

There’s a face off, but Bella doesn’t even look at the drunken boys. She’s staring at Edward. Only when he’s in ear shot does she finally ask, “ _How did you find me?_ ” Maybe the college men weren’t the only stalkers in town. Maybe getting into the car was a bad idea. Maybe she should have just ran with the distraction.

Edward’s mad, it’s clear by the words coming out of his mouth. Somehow, she realizes that it’s not actually him she’s afraid of. Whatever is happening between them, that’s what scares her most.

It wasn’t until they were in front of Jessica and Angela at the restaurant that she realizes she hadn’t paid attention to his hands in the car. She had been too focused on calming him down to notice. Right now, his hands are covered in his coat pockets. Bella wants the girls to leave, needs to question Edward before he changes his mind on being nice to her again.

“I could eat,” Bella decides, following Edward inside the restaurant without notice of her friends whispering behind her.

Edward plays his charm into getting the hostess to do whatever he wants. She realized how he had tried that on her, before. It didn’t seem fair. Maybe it was a part of whatever secrets he was hiding. Once they’re sitting, Bella realizes that he’s keeping his hands below the table.

He solves the problem for her, though, by asking, “Do you have a jacket?” Her answer is honest, and his jacket is handed to her in seconds. When she looks at his hands, she finally has her answer. Her own are covered in bandages, but it seems that Edward hadn’t thought of that.

Across his knuckles, small and faded forget-me-not petals blossomed against his skin.

Even if they hadn’t matched her own bruising, Bella still would have found the marks beautiful. They looked like magic omens, saying _look here, look here! You’ve found him!_

It’s Bella’s turn to dazzle when she looks up at him as she puts his jacket over his shoulders with a grand smile. She has her answer now, and she’s not going to let it go. “Is indestructability another one of your skills?”

Her question renders him speechless. Somehow, Bella finds it charming. “This is more complicated than I’d planned,” Edwards admits after a minute, clearly frustrated with her.

Bella knows the feeling.  
  
  


Now that she knew the one thing that really mattered, it’s simple to gather her information on the _other_ thing. Curiosity is what drives it. The need to _know_ him better than anyone else. If she can’t share his marks, she at least wants to understand why.

The Legends don’t give her much to work off of. As far as she knows, there are no werewolves in the area. Not that she wants Edward to be hurt. No, it’s the fact that they know what can hurt him.

Bella realizes that the idea of navy blue bite marks coving her body makes her feel sick.

For regular people, marks are supposed to be little reminders of life and love. A small hit to the legs, the tell-tale signs of falling on your ass, a warning when they’ve been in an accident. That you are not alone in the world and out there, somewhere, is your counterpart.

For her, it would mean Edward was dying. If the marks even showed up. Nothing had appeared when he pushed Tyler’s car away.

The next day, she had played her cards close at hand. It wasn’t until a mistake in gym had given them away to the entire school. Or, at the very least, Mike and Jessica. Which meant the whole school would know about it by the end of the day.

The sight of him as she opened the gym doors had been a surprise. The sky blue line on his forehead was a treat. Even if he couldn’t mark her, this was proof enough. She wanted to reach out and touch it. Against her better judgement, that’s exactly what she did.

Edward’s body tensed visibly, but he didn’t stop her. If anything, he seemed confused on her actions. He was cold to the touch, but Bella was expecting that at this point. She outlined the small line, smiling softly. A little piece of her, tethering the two of them together.

Mike Newton’s scoff wasn’t enough to make her pull her hand away, but Edward’s expression turned murderous. Bella’s attention spun between the two of them, about the unspoken words Edward must have heard. “What?”

Edward rubbed his forehead himself, almost like he expected the blue to rub off on his fingertips. “Newton’s getting on my nerves.” They both knew about the mark now; it was no use pretending. “How’s your head?”

“I’m fine,” Bella lied, face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t thought about the repercussions of this news getting out. Instead of facing it, she just made her way to the car. Edward followed along, clearly irritated with whatever he was hearing in Mike and Jessica’s heads. “Stop spying!” She hissed as soon as she got to the car.

It was a tense ride, but her anger had led to something better: answers about what he was. His hunting, how reality clashed with fiction and myth. Somehow, this led to more questions and theories that she knew he didn’t have the answers to.

“Bella?” He called as she walked away, absentmindedly rubbing her forehead. “Tomorrow, I’m asking the questions.”

She was surprised that she didn’t dread this. She only found relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally like two people asked for this, and i caved very quickly


End file.
